Lockerbie bomber Al-Megrahi reported dead in Libya

THE Foreign Office is investigating reports the Lockerbie bomber has died in Libya.

The Foreign Office is investigating reports the Lockerbie bomber has died in Libya []

Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, 59, died at home after a long battle with cancer, his brother Abdulhakim told Reuters news agency today.

"He was too sick to utter anything on his deathbed," Abdulhakim told Reuters.

Al-Megrahi was sentenced to life in prison for the 1988 bombing of a US airliner which claimed 270 lives.

The bombing of the plane, travelling from London to New York four days before Christmas, killed all 259 people on board.

Eleven residents of the Dumfries and Galloway town also died after the plane crashed down on their homes.

He was freed from prison after serving nearly eight years of his sentence after he dropped his second appeal against conviction at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh.

He was too sick to utter anything on his deathbed

Abdulhakim al-Megrahi

Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill's decision to allow Megrahi to return home to die in Libya sparked international condemnation from some relatives of victims and politicians, who demanded he be returned to jail.

US families were among the most vocal critics of the decision, along with US president Barack Obama.